Stranger Things Season 2 Will Be a Direct Sequel

Have you watched Netflix's new original series Stranger Things yet? No? Then if you've even a passing interest in science fiction, or any fond memories for 80s cinema classics like The Goonies or the work of John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg, you're an idiot. It is fantastic, a thriller that delivers monster-movie scares and a healthy dose of nostalgia across its eight-episode run.

Though it ties up its intrigues well enough to be considered a standalone work, there are a few loose ends left open by writing and directing duo the Duffer Brothers at the series close. Now, speaking to Variety, Ross Duffer has revealed the pair's intention for a second season – one that would directly follow the events of the first, rather than introducing a whole new plot à la True Detective.

And that's because they've just scratched the surface of the ideas introduced in the first eight episodes..

"There’s a lot there we don’t know or understand," Says Duffer.

"Even with ‘The Upside Down,’ we have a 30-page document that is pretty intricate in terms of what it all means, where this monster actually came from, and why aren’t there more monsters.

“We have all this stuff that we just didn’t have time for, or we didn’t feel like we needed to get into in season one, because of the main tension of Will. We have that whole other world that we haven’t fully explored in this season, and that was very purposeful.”

The "Upside Down" world from season one would be explored in far more depth then – but crucially the amazing young cast of characters that anchors the weirdness of the show so humorously would remain our window into Stranger Things.

“We leave these dangling threads at the end. If people respond to this show and we get to continue this story — we had those initial discussions of where we might go with it," he continues.

"If there was going to be a season two, we would reveal more of that 30-page document, but we’d still want to keep it from the point of view of our original characters.

“We don’t answer all the questions by the end of the season — there are definitely some dangling threads. The hope is that it feels satisfying but that we left room and that if people respond to it we can go back into this world. But if we do get to go back, it’s not a second season as much as a sequel.”

So when should we expect Stranger Things season two? That's not yet certain, but both cast and crew have all-but confirmed it is on the way. Actor Matthew Modine has hinted that talks have already begun, while executive producer Shawn Levy has described the show as "very much a television series [...] not a limited run." [Variety]